Thursday, November 15, 2018

October 26-27 a few weeks ago, was the week of the Shabbat
project, when Jews of all affiliations and backgrounds throughout the world
were uniting in observing Shabbos.It has become in vogue at the end of Shabbatons
to have a Carlebach style havdala. Before beginning havdala, with the lights
off and the glow of the havdala candle reflecting on everyone’s faces, the
leader relates a story/poignant thought while strumming gently on his guitar.
Then havdala is sung melodiously to very moving tunes.

On that Friday afternoon, I was driving home from Teaneck in
the early afternoon. My phone was almost dead, lingering at about 3% in low
battery mode.

I received a text from a good friend who lives in Las Vegas.
He was going to be leading such a havdala and asked if I had any thoughts that
he could share.

I thought for a moment and then replied that after a few
strums on the guitar he should ask the assemblage what was the first
commandment that G-d gave to Adam in Gan Eden. Undoubtedly someone would answer
that it was that Adam not partake of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. He
should then reply that the Meshech Chochma notes that actually the first
command was that he eat from all the other fruits in the garden. Only after
telling Adam to enjoy the fruits of the garden, did He then add the warning
that Adam not eat from the forbidden fruit.The lesson is that living according to the
mandates of G-d is not to confine and restrict, but to ensure that we live an
elite connected life within the confines of biblical morality.

I continued that some people view Shabbos as a restrictive
day - a day of don’t do this and don’t do that. But that is a very poor
understanding of what Shabbos is about.

Imagine an NFL rookie about to play in the Super Bowl. There
isn’t an open seat in the stadium, the crowds are screaming and waving. They
announce his name and he runs out onto the field high-fiving his teammates as
the crowd erupts in raucous cheering.

This is what he has dreamed about since he was a little boy.
This is what kept him going when things were really tough. This is his dream
come true.

Someone asks him at that moment why he’s so excited when the
whole thing seems so overbearing. He has to wear a certain uniform and can’t
choose his own clothes. He can’t use his cell phone during the game, and in
fact can’t do anything except focus on the game. He can’t go buy a sandwich or
get a drink from across the street; he can only drink what’s provided for him
on the field. He has to listen to the instruction of the quarterback and the
coach, and he has to go out there and work hard. It seems to be worse than
prison.

The player will look at the questioner like he fell off the
moon. Yes, he can’t do any of those things. But that’s all part of the glory of
having the opportunity to play in the Super Bowl. Not only are those things not
restrictive, they are part of the excitement of playing in the big game.Shabbos observance indeed entails maintaining
numerous restrictions. However, one who appreciates the essence of Shabbos,
recognizes that the prohibitions of Shabbos are a vital component for our
ability to gain from the greatness of Shabbos.

Throughout the week we are busy living outside of ourselves,
trying to do our part to improve the world and our own lives. On Shabbos
however, we turn inwards. It is a one-day honeymoon with our souls when we
focus on what is really important in life. To be able to accomplish that we
need to shut ourselves out from the outside world. That is accomplished by
adhering to the prohibitions of Shabbos.

Immediately after sending that idea in a voice note to my
friend, my phone died.

When I arrived home and plugged my phone in, I saw that he
asked me to elaborate on what the connection was to havdala.

I replied that after we have spent a full day enjoying and
celebrating what is really important in life, then we are ready to venture back
out into the world with renewed spiritual strength. It’s kind of like plugging
in a phone at the end of the day. After a few hours it’s charged and able to
fulfill all of its functions for the new day. Shabbos is our souls plug that
charges us up for the week.After I sent that reply, I took my almost dead
phone and that’s exactly what I did.